A United States
federal appeals
court has over-
turned the deporta-
tion order against
Jamaican-born
Carlyle Leslie
Owen Dale, a long time resident United States law enforce-
of New York who had been
locked up for years while ment agents are convinced
battling a variety of illnesses Caribbean nationals Abdel
including diabetes, high blood i Nur, left, and Christopher
pressure, asthma and liver "Dudus" Coke are dangerous
disease, page 3. men. Both were extradited 4

The importance of the
Caribbean as a conduit for
cocaine imported into the
United States has "greatly
diminished" over the past 15
years, according to a new
report issued by the United
Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime, as traffickers look
beyond the region, page 8.

Calypsonians in
Grenada have
threatened to
boycott this
year's carnival
S celebrations if
the Tillman
Thomas gov-
ernment reduces the subven-
tion to facilitate the staging of
various shows across the
island, page 11.

POSITIVE

VIBRATION!
- Jamaica and Jamaicans are mak-
ing positive strides. Audrey Marks,
right, became the island's first female
ambassador to the United States and
was welcomed by President Barack
Obama. Others with connections to
Jamaica are doing well too. See
Caribbean Today's Jamaica
Supplement, starting on page 14.

NEW YORK A Guyanese
national charged in an inter-
national plot to blow up fuel
lines at the John E Kennedy
International Airport in 2007
has pleaded guilty to furnish-
ing material support to his co-
defendants.
"I provided guidance in
order to assist them in their
plan to attack the fuel line at
JFK airport to cause major
economic harm to the United
States," Abdel Nur told
United States District Judge
Dora Irizzary, of Brooklyn
federal court, one day before
he was scheduled to go on
trial.
Nur, 60, was extradited
from Trinidad and Tobago to
stand trial.
U.S. prosecutors said he
acted as a "go-bL i\\ i n with

Abdel Nur being arrested in Trinidad and Tobago in 2007.

the alleged mastermind,
Guyanese-born Russell
Defreitas, 66, a U.S. citizen,
who worked as cargo

handler at John E Kennedy
International.
An indictment unsealed in
2007 said the men hoped to

%..LuL greater destruction
than in the September 11
attacks" in New York by using
explosives to ignite a fuel
pipeline feeding JFK and to
destroy the airport and parts
of Queens, the New York City
borough where the line runs
underground. The authorities
said the plot, which the men
code-named "Chicken Farm",
never got past the planning
stages.

TRIAL
Defreitas and fellow
Guyanese, Abdul Kadir, 58, a
former People's National
Congress parliamentarian, were
scheduled to go on trial late last
month.
The fourth defendant,
Trinidadian Kareem Ibrahim,
59, has been granted a sepa-
rate trial after he had gone on
a hunger strike in prison and

terror plot
became ill. It is now unclear
when he will be tried.
Under the plea agreement
made public on June 29, Nur
has avoided the possibility of
life in prison if convicted. He
now faces up to 15 years in
prison, prosecutors said.
"I became aware that
individuals who I had known
were developing a plan that
had as its goal the use of an
explosive device or material to
destroy or extremely damage
fuel tanks or fuel pipelines at
the John E Kennedy interna-
tional airport," Nur told the
court, reading from a pre-
pared statement.
"I understand the destruc-
tion of the fuel and planes was
to cause major economic loss
in the U.S.," he added.
g

No bail for Haitian accused

of bomb plot in New York

NEW YORK A United
States federal judge has denied
bail to a Haitian man accused
of joining three others in plac-
ing what were described as
bombs outside two synagogues
in the Bronx, New York.
Judge Colleen McMahon
denied bail to Laguerre
Payen, 27, who is illegally in
the U.S., as well as his alleged
accomplices.
Prosecutors said Payen
and James Cromitie, 44, Onta
Williams, 32, and David
Williams, 28, were also plan-
ning to shoot a missile at
planes at the Stewart Air
National Guard base near
Newburgh, in upstate New
York, where they reside.
All four have pleaded not
guilty to terrorism charges and
have been in jail for over a

year.
The accused claim they
were entrapped by an under-
cover agent, who proposed
and directed the plot and then
furnished the fake bombs and
inactive missile. But Judge
McMahon ordered that the
defendants remain jailed even
though "the court is also
aware that the government's
case may not be as ironclad as
it appeared in the hours and
days immediately after the
defendants were arrested."

Defence attorneys argued
that their clients were not
dangerous and should,
therefore, be released.

- CMC

U.S. court overturns life sentence for Jamaican

driver linked to deaths of 19 illegal immigrants

HOUSTON, Texas A
United States federal appeals
court has overturned the life-
without-parole sentence given
to Jamaican truck driver
Tyrone Williams in Jan. 2007.
In tossing out the life
sentence, the 5th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals said
Williams, whose actions
resulted in the deaths of 19
illegal immigrants in south
Texas in 2003, will return to
federal court for a new sen-
tence.
Prosecutors had sought
the death sentence for
Williams on 19 counts of
transporting illegal immi-
grants. It was described as the
deadliest human smuggling
attempt in U.S. history. The
three-judge Appeals Court
panel ruled that the govern-
ment's case against Williams

failed to establish that he
had committed an "act of vio-
lence", as required by federal
law.
"We hold that an 'act of
violence' must involve the
use of physical fI r t the
Appeals Court ruled, adding
"Williams's conduct during the
smuggling trip, despicable as it
was, fell short of the statutory
minimum to subject Williams
to the possibility of a death
sentence.
I(k.du-L the evidence
was insufficient, as a matter
of law, the threshold intent
question should not have been
submitted to the jury, and
sentencing should have been
done by the district court",
the judges ruled.
The court left untouched
Williams's sentences of 34
years and 20 years that were
handed down on related
charges.
The court also did not
reverse the capital transport-
ing conviction for which he
received the life sentence or

CAN WE TALK?

:41V 4 WE 11
rd"Allu,

find merit in other appeals
issues.

UNCLEAR
Williams's attorney Seth
Kretzer said he does not know
what the effect of the Appeals
Court decision will be other
than to lower the penalty to
something below life without
parole.
"Williams's conduct did
not fall within the scope of the
Federal Death Penalty Act,"
he told reporters.
The Appeals Court said
Williams's reckless disregard
for the safety of 74 immigrants
trapped in a trailer he was
pulling through south Texas
did not rise to the level of
conduct necessary to become
a death-eligible crime. It said
such conduct must involve an
"overt expression of vio-
lence", adding that "negli-
gence, no matter how
extreme, would not meet
the requirement".

AUnited States federal
appeals court has
overturned the depor-
tation order against Jamaican-
born Carlyle Leslie Owen
Dale, a long time resident of
New York who had been
locked up for years while bat-
tling from a variety of illness-
es including diabetes, high
blood pressure, asthma and
liver disease.
Dale, 61, was released
from the Oakdale Federal
Detention Center in Louisiana
late last month.
His case had received
national attention in the U.S.
Advocates of the National
Immigrant Justice Center
(NJIC) petitioned the United
Nations on his behalf after
learning that he had been hos-
pitalized several times for his
illnesses while incarcerated.
The NIJC said that as Dale's
court appeals languished, his
health had "sharply declined".
According to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the
Fifth Circuit, the Board of
Immigration Appeals (BIA)
had wrongly decided that
Dale should be deported as an
iLer.nr ,ljd felon" for a 2000
conviction for attempted

assault. The matter was sent
back to the BIA to render a
new ruling.
Since 2005, the U.S. had
tried to deport Dale. He had
pleaded guilty to attempted
aggravated assault following a
shooting in New York. He was
locked up although he had
never been
convicted of a
crime before
and had paid
$9,000 in resti-
tution to the
person he had
shot with an
unregistered
gun. The vic- Dale
tim, Dale
claimed, had
attacked him with a knife.

SUFFERING
Though doctors reported
that he had suffered "near
respiratory arr ist the NIJC
petition said Dale had
endured days of gasping for
breath at the Oakdale deten-
tion center; he had a nebulizer
mask pulled from his face by
an infirmary assistant who
accused him of "faking it" and
told him to do push-ups in his
cell.

Dale filed a complaint
about the assistant's behavior,
but it was declared "without
merit" by the same detention
official who had denied all his
requests for release while his
appeal was pending, the peti-
tion said.
"I cannot understand why
I should have been detained
for five years and suffer as
much as I did in a country like
this, just because I exercised
my rights to challenge my
deportation," Dale told
reporters from the detention
center on learning about the
court's recent ruling.
After his release, Dale
visited the home of his son
Dwight in Orlando, Florida,
where he enjoyed the compa-
ny of grandchildren.
"I want to tell you how
good it feels to be back in my
America the America that
I love and that loves me," he
told the New York Times
newspaper in a recent tele-
phone interview.
Before his incarceration,
worked in New York at
the John F Kennedy
International Airport and
an advertising agency. He
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 4)

WASHINGTON, D.C. The
United States Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC)
says it has filed charges
against a U.S. Virgin Islands-
based fund manager who used
the National Bank of Anguilla
to deposit funds he raised in a
multi-million dollar Ponzi
scheme.
The SEC said that Daniel
Spitzer p_ rpLI r._LJ d a
US$105 million Ponzi scheme
against investors" and uNLd
several entities and sales
agents to misrepresent to
investors that their money
would be invested in invest-
ment funds that, in turn,
would be invested primarily
in foreign currency.
"Investors were falsely
told that Spitzer's funds had
never lost money and histori-
cally produced profitable
annual returns that one year
reached over 180 percent",
the SEC explained in a state-
ment.

COURT ORDER
It noted that Spitzer
used money raised from
new investors to pay earlier
investors, and misappropriat-
ed investor funds to pay unre-

lated business expenses.
"He concealed his scheme
by issuing phony documents
to investors that led them to
believe their investments were
profiting", the SEC noted,
adding that it has obtained an
emergency court order freez-
ing the assets of Spitzer and
his companies.
According to the SEC's
complaint, filed in U.S.
District Court for the
Northern District of Illinois,
Spitzer conducted the alleged
fraudulent scheme, which
involved 400 investors, from
at least 2004 to present. It said
he only invested about $30
million of the more than
$105 million he raised from
investors. Of that amount,
Spitzer used about $13.5 mil-
lion to invest through an off-
shore entity via a bank
account in the Netherlands
Antilles, the indictment
charged.
The SEC alleged that
Spitzer used offshore bank
accounts to pay purported
business expenses of his com-
panies. It also charged that he
deposited investor funds into

Four charged in
MIAMI, Florida Four men
were last month slapped with
charges of mail fraud and
money laundering for their
alleged roles in a multi-million
dollar Ponzi scheme targeting
the South Florida Haitian
American community.
Maxo Francois, also
called Max Francois, Jean
Fritz Montinard, Aiby Pierre-
Louis and Maguy Nereus, also
called Maguy Jean-Louis,
were charged with one count
of conspiracy to commit mail
fraud and one count of con-
spiracy to commit money
laundering.
According to court docu-
ments, the investment scheme
involved two businesses known
as Focus Development Center,
Inc. (Focus Development)
and Focus Financial Group,
Inc., a/k/a Focus Financial
Associates, Inc. (Focus
Financial), and centered
around the sale of 12-month

Ponzi scheme targeting Haitians
notes with a guaranteed annual promised to investors. Instead,
return in excess of 15 percent. the defendants allegedly used
To convince people to buy newly collected investor
these notes, the defendants money to pay annual returns
allegedly made presentations or "interest payments" prom-
in churches and on local radio ised to investors and to repay
stations claiming that Focus investors principal.
Development owned and The indictment further
operated successful businesses alleges that the defendants
and that the money raised misappropriated money from
would be used to create investors for their personal

Haitian American businesses
and jobs and improve the
Haitian American community.
The four also allegedly
told investors that their princi-
pal was secure and fully
refundable and that the annu-
al return would be paid from
business profits.

NO PROFITS
The indictment further
alleges, however, that Focus
Development and its affiliated
businesses never generated
sufficient profits to pay annual
returns in excess of 15 percent

As a result of the scheme,
the defendants raised approxi-
mately $8 million from more
than 600 Haitian Americans
living in South Florida who
ultimately suffered a loss of
approximately $6 million.
If convicted, they each
face up to 20 years on each
count and fines of up to
$16,000,000.

- CaribWorldNews
a

U.S. alleges another Ponzi scheme in the Caribbean

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3)
bank accounts at the National
Bank of Anguilla and the First
Bank of Puerto Rico, from
which he paid more than $15
million in purported operating
expenses and payments to
himself and various sales
agents. Spitzer also used more
than $4.8 million to pay third-
party business expenses, the
SEC charged.

'COLLAPSE'
According to the SEC's
complaint, Spitzer's scheme is

"on the verge of collapse as he
has attempted to delay and
avoid paying investor redemp-
tions".
As recently as Mar. 2010,
the SEC claimed that Spitzer
obtained $100,000 from an
unidentified investor for an
investment in one of his "pur-
portedly more conservative
investment funds.
"Rather than invest the
money, Spitzer used a portion
of the money in April 2010 to
pay other investors and third-
party \L n11" ', the com-

plaint alleged.
In Feb. 2009, the SEC
filed a civil lawsuit against
Texas financier Allan
Stanford, accusing him of
masterminding a $7 billion
Ponzi scheme involving his
Antigua and Barbuda-owned
Stanford International Bank.
Stanford, who is currently
jailed in Houston, Texas, has
repeatedly denied any wrong-
doing. He goes on trial in
January.

vwwwcar bbeanto day.com

Toxic fumes force Belize P.M.

to evacuate Miami Beach hotel

Belize Prime Minister
Dean Barrow was
among hundreds of
guests who were forced to
evacuate a
Miami Beach
hotel late last
month after a
body and toxic
fumes were
observed on
the premises.
Barrow,
who was the
guest of honor Barrow
at a dinner,
was preparing to address the
gathering when he was hand-
ed a note by his wife Kim
Simpliss-Barrow indicating

that they were required to
evacuate the building. They
were then whisked away
unhurt by Secret Service
agents.
Miami Beach police are
investigating the shooting
death that took place on the
llth floor of the hotel, several
floors above the ballroom
where the prime minister was
attending the event.
When police stepped off
the elevator on the llth floor
they smelled a foul odor and
called in Hazmat crews to
investigate the cause of the
stench before giving the all
clear.

BOSTON, Massachusetts -
Allegations of adult sexual
misconduct has resulted in the
revocation of a Haitian-born
priest's right to perform mass
by The Catholic Archdiocese
of Boston.
The Boston archdiocese
announced last month that
the pri\ ikgl of Reverend
Gabriel Michel, a priest of the
Archdiocese of Cap-Haitien in
Haiti, has been revoked.
Father Michel has served
in Boston since 2002 and was
most recently parochial vicar
at St. Angela's Parish in

Mattapan and
a coordinator
of the archdio-
cese's Haitian
Apostolate.
He was also a
chaplain at
Massachusetts
General Michel
Hospital.
No further
details of the allegations
against the Rev. Michel were
available up to press time.

BUMPS
His fight for release hit
several bumps over the years.
He was denied release by
U.S. immigration while his
appeals against deportation
were pending. Even after last
month's ruling by the appeals
court he was still subject to
mandatory detention.
However, on June 30 a settle-
ment freed him on his own
recognizance. He was allowed
to go to Orlando.
According to the New
York Times, Claudia
Valenzuela, the justice
center lawyer who represent-
ed Dale in his detention case,
said the case highlighted the
arbitrariness of the detention
system.
"The government detains
individuals on a massive scale

without really evaluating
whether that person merits
detention," she said. "It serves
to create a system in which
individuals who should never
be detained in the first place,
much less for years on end,
find themselves deprived of
their liberty, of everyday con-
tact with family and friends,
and of even basic medical
services without justification."
Now Dale is happy to
rejoin members of his family.
"My two-year-old, she's
all over me," he told the
newspaper about his grand-
daughter who was born while
he was locked up. "My health
is not as bad because my spir-
its are so high."

Information from this story
compiled from various
sources, including the New
York Times and Caribbean
Media Corporation.

Haitian-born Catholic priest

accused of sexual misconduct

CARIBBEAN TODAY JULY 2010- 5

wwwcari bbeantoday.com

In custody: 'Dudus' Coke returns to New York court in September

NEW YORK Jamaican
Christopher "Dudus" Coke,

Manhattan court for him to
obtain his personal team of

that the money that will be
used to retain an attorney was
not obtained through any crim-
inal activities. Both his court-
appointed attorney Russell
Neufeld and attorney Dottato
were in court during his brief
appearance on June 28.
The indictment, filed in
the U.S. District Court

Southern District of New
York, cites Coke for conspira-
cy to distribute marijuana and
cocaine in violation of sections
812 and 841 of Title 21 of the
U.S. Code. It identifies Coke
as the lead defendant, who
operated on several aliases
since the early 1990s when he
allegedly took over control of

the garrison community of
Tivoli Gardens in West
Kingston, Jamaica.
It also charges members
of what the state believes is
Coke's organization, known as
the "Shower Posse", and also
as "Presidential Click", who
reside in Tivoli Gardens, other
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 6)

the reputed leader of the
notorious \Ilh\\ r Posse"
gang, is to re-appear in a
United States court on Sept. 7
following a brief appearance
late last month.
Coke, who was extradited
to the U.S. last month, is mak-
ing representation before a

lawyers to defend him. Up to
press time, Coke, 42, was
being represented by a court-
appointed lawyer. But he
wants his team of attorneys,
likely to be led by New York-
based Frank Doddato.
Under U.S. law, Coke is
required to satisfy the court

U.S. assures Caribbean of support

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,
CMC United States
Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton has assured the
Caribbean that "the U.S. is
back", in the face of concerns

Clinton

raised by regional govern-
ments that its support has
been absent from the region.
During a more than hour
long meeting with Caribbean
leaders and officials last
month, she further assured
the region that it will get
some much needed financial
assistance to help deal with a
number of pressing problems,
the vexed issue of crime and
security.
The Barack Obama
administration has already
pledged $45 million to the
region this year under the
Caribbean Basin Security
Initiative. United States offi-
cials said the process of dis-
bursing those funds, which
were announced by Obama
last year, should get going by
next month.

In April, U.S. Secretary of
Defense Robert Gates made a
further commitment of $79
million under the security ini-
tiative for next year. Following
her 90 minute meeting on
June 10, the secretary of state
also announced that the
region was in line to receive a
further $170 million in funding
for HIV/AIDS and climate
change programs.

TRADE HELP
In terms of trade, Clinton
also said the May signing into
law of the 10 year extension of
the Caribbean Basin Trade
Partnership Act should go a
long way in helping the region
gain access to the U.S. mar-
ket. She also restated the U.S.
government's continued sup-
port to Haiti as it continues to
recover from the Jan. 12
earthquake.
"We have a lot of work to
do and we believe very strong-
ly in addressing these issues in
a collaborative fashion," she
said.
Responding directly to
concerns raised that the U.S.
government has been absent
from the Caribbean, she
assured "we are back 100 per-
cent.
"We are back and com-
mitted. We are looking for
solutions to common prob-
lems and we are also looking
to listen. I came here to listen
as much as to express our
hopes and our plans and I am
very grateful for the positive
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 6)

6 CARIBBEAN TODAY JULY 2010
1 14

wwwcar bbeanto day.com

U.S. assures Caribbean of support Villain or hero? Two sides of 'The President'

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5)
response and the agreement
on what we are calling the
Bridgetown Commitment,"
she told reporters.

WELCOME
The new commitment has
also been welcomed by
Caribbean states that have
been bogged down with secu-
rity and economic concerns.
"This re-engagement is
real," said Antigua and
Barbuda's Prime Minister
Baldwin Spencer, who is the
chairman of the Caribbean
Community Council for
Foreign and Community

Relations (COFCOR).
"We are extremely
pleased that the United States
has seen it fit to properly
and effectively engage the
Caribbean because we are a
very important and integral
part of this hemisphere and
our futures are intertwined
and we recognize this."
The Caribbean also used
the opportunity to call for the
end of the decades old embar-
go against Cuba and to pro-
pose the convening of a spe-
cial conference on interper-
sonal violence later this year.

Y~~ 0 OICECANBRpNG!A :SR T

(A...B a~oc...

Fo mr nomlo cal356 -66 x- 24

hristopher "Dudus"
Coke, 42, has been
branded as both hero
and villain, depending on
which pair of eyes are cast
upon him.
In his West Kingston,
Jamaica stronghold of Tivoli
Gardens, the reputed leader
of the notorious 'i l\\ r
Posse" gang is revered by
many. So respected or per-
haps feared is he that many
in the area refer to him as
"the PrL IdL n ', or "Presi" for
short, even though the area
is represented in Parliament
by Prime Minister Bruce
Golding.
Many Tivoli residents
have praised Coke as their
benefactor who provided
security for the community
and paid for children to attend
school. However, in the eyes
of law enforcement authorities
in the United States or in his
homeland of Jamaica, Coke is
considered to be a powerful
and dangerous criminal mas-
termind.

MOST WANTED
For just over a month
until his capture by Jamaican
police on June 22, "Dudus",
said to be a supporter of the
ruling Jamaica Labour Party,
was the country's most wanted
man. An incursion by security
forces into Tivoli Gardens in
May turned bloody, as many
gunmen loyal to Coke barri-
caded the community as they
sought to prevent him being
captured and handed over to

U.S. authorities, who said he
was responsible for a number
of drug and gun-running deals
between the two countries.
Despite his picture being
plastered in the local and
international media, Coke
managed to evade the authori-
ties for several weeks. He was
nabbed from a vehicle being
driven by pastor Al Miller,
who claimed he was taking the
country's number one fugitive
to the U.S. embassy in the
capital to surrender to
American authorities.

Y

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5)
areas of Jamaica, and in other
countries, including the U.S.

INDICTMENT
The indictment states that
since 1994, members of the
organization have been
involved in drug trafficking in
the New York area, Kingston,
Jamaica and elsewhere and
have sold narcotics, including
marijuana and crack cocaine,
at Coke's direction and on his
behalf.
The proceeds of the drug
sales were allegedly sent to
Coke in Jamaica, in the form
of cash and/or goods.
In addition, the indict-
ment states that members of
the organization in the U.S.

allegedly supplied Coke with
firearms in exchange for the
assistance that he provided, in
recognition of his status and
power within the organization.
The indictment lists sever-
al telephone conversations,
which allegedly occurred
between Coke and co-conspir-
ators, in support of the claims
Coke, who faces life in prison
if convicted, was indicted last
August. He was captured by
security forces in Jamaica last
month after more than 76
people, including 73 civilians
were killed during gun battles
with the security forces mainly
in the West Kingston con-
stituency.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti,
CMC President Rend Pr6val
has announced Nov. 28 as the
date for presidential and leg-
islative elections in the earth-
quake battered Caribbean
community (CARICOM)
country.
Pr6val has also issued a
decree mandating the coun-
try's nine-member Provisional
Electoral Council to prepare
for the presidential elections.
His five-year presidential
term ends next February, but
the Parliament recently voted
to allow him to remain in

office until May 14, 2011,
exactly five years after he took
office, should his successor not
be chosen by the constitution-
al deadline of Feb. 7.
In May, Preval said that
he planned to do everything in
his power to ensure that gen-
eral elections were held
before the constitutional
deadline. But he also noted
that while the Haitian consti-
tution states that the president
must depart office on Feb. 7, it
also indicates that the head of
state must serve for five years.

In custody: 'Dudus' Coke returns to

New York court in September

Haiti elections set for Nov. 28

Coke was captured don-
ning a wig as part of his dis-
guise. Local media reported
that the well-known "don"
also had a pair of glasses and
a pig wig (separate from the
black one he was pho-
tographed wearing under a
baseball cap).
After waiving his right to
an extradition hearing in
Jamaica, Coke was flown out
of the country under the
guard of U.S. federal agents to
New York where he faces
charges of conspiracy to dis-
tribute marijuana and cocaine,
and firearms conspiracy.
Coke, who is also listed in
the U.S. District Court indict-
ment as "Michael Christopher
Scott" among at least half a
dozen other aliases, has plead-
ed not guilty to the charges.
If convicted, he faces a life
sentence.

- CMC
,I

CARIBBEAN TODAY JULY 2010- 7

wwwcari bbeantoday.com

U.S. issues travel alert for Haiti in wake of Americans' killing

WASHINGTON, D.C. The
U.S. Department of State has
warned Americans traveling
to Haiti to exercise caution
following the murder of four
American citizens in recent
months.
The United States
embassy in Port-au-Prince, the
Haitian capital, said on June
28 that the U.S. citizens were
robbed and killed near the air-
port in the capital in separate
incidents in the last three
months. It said that the victims
were visiting relatives in the
earthquake ravaged country.
"While the Embassy's
ability to provide emergency
consular services has
improved in the months fol-
lowing the earthquake, it is

still limited", the State
Department explained in a
statement.
"U.S. citizens traveling to
and residing in Haiti despite
this warning are reminded
that there remains a persistent
danger of violent crime,
including armed robbery,
homicide, and kidnapping",
it warned.
"In particular, there have
been a number of recent cases
in which travelers arriving in
Port-au-Prince on flights
from the United States were
attacked and robbed while
traveling in cars away from
the airport", it added.

TARGETS
The State Department

said police authorities believe
criminals may be targeting
travelers arriving on flights
from the U.S.
I r.\ L k r, are advised to
use extra caution in arranging
transportation from the air-
port. Most kidnapping are
criminal in nature, and the
kidnappers make no distinc-

tions of nationality, race, gen- remain in their homes or in
der, or age", it noted, adding U.S. government facilities
that some kidnap victims have during the curfew. It said
been killed, shot, sexually some areas were off-limits
assaulted, or physically to embassy staff after dark,
abused. including the capital Port-au-
The State Department Prince.
said U.S. embassy personnel
are under an embassy- CMC
imposed curfew and must 4

Guyanese gets seven years in U.S.

for scamming investors of millions

NORTH DAKOTA A
United States federal judge
late last month sentenced a
Guyanese man to seven years
in jail for scamming investors
out of millions of dollars.
Justice Ralph Erickson
told 67-year-old Neville
Solomon that he had commit-
ted the "worst kind of white
collar crime.
"Mr. Solomon was taking
advantage of desperate peo-
ple," said the judge, who also
ordered him to pay more than
two million dollars in restitu-
tion.
Solomon was arrested in
Trinidad and Tobago last year
after eluding law enforcement
officials for 18 months. He
was convicted here in
February on three counts of

money laundering and one
count of conspiracy to defraud
the U.S.
Prosecutors said Solomon,
who underwent triple by-pass
surgery since his arrest, was
involved with Minot com-
modities broker Frederick
Keiser Jr., who was convicted
in 2007 and sentenced to 12
years in prison. They said
Solomon and Keiser recruited
investors into bank programs
by promising high rates of
return with no risk.
Prosecutors said Solomon
joined the scheme in 2001
after Keiser was prohibited by
North Dakota's securities
commissioner from doing
business.
4

Second man pleads guilty

in Haitian smuggling case

WEST PALM BEACH,
Florida Federal law enforce-
ment officials here said a sec-
ond man has pleaded guilty in
connection with last year's dis-
astrous smuggling operation
that cost at least nine Haitians
their lives.
Prosecutors said that
Jimmy Metellus, 33, the cap-
tain of the boat that sunk off
Palm Beach County's coast
last May with at least 25 peo-
ple aboard, pleaded guilty to
22 counts of smuggling,
including nine charges of
smuggling that resulted in
death. He will be sentenced in
federal court here on Sept. 3.
Metellus's co-defendant,
Jean Morange Nelson, 33,
pleaded guilty last month. At
that plea hearing, federal prose-

cutors said they would recom-
mend that he receive a seven- to
nine-year prison sentence. But
U.S. District Judge Kenneth
Marra said Nelson could be sent
to prison for life when he is sen-
tenced on Aug. 20.
Metellus also faces a pos-
sible life sentence, although
the plea deal indicates prose-
cutors will seek a less severe
punishment.
While his plea agreement
is similar to the one Nelson
took, prosecutors said
Metellus should be treated
more harshly because he was
the captain of the boat. They
also said they would recom-
mend he receive the maxi-
mum sentence within the fed-
eral sentencing guidelines.
4

UNITED NATIONS The
importance of the Caribbean
as a conduit for cocaine
imported into the United
States has "greatly dimin-
ilid over the past 15 years,
according to a new report
issued by the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC).
The report, released here
late last month, said during
the early days of the trade,
traffickers preferred the
Caribbean corridor and it was
used preferentially from the
late 1970s.
"In the 1980s, most of the
cocaine entering the United
States came through the
Caribbean into the southern
part of the state of Florida.
But interdiction successes,
tied to the use of radars,
caused the traffickers to
reassess their r, ulI it
noted.
"As a growing share of
cocaine transited the south-
west border of the United
States, Mexican groups wrest-
ed control from their
Colombian suppliers, further
directing the flow through
Central America and
Mexico".

INSTABILITY
But UNODC said that the
decline has not necessarily led
to increased stability or low-
ered violence in the transit
countries.
"On the contrary, it seems
that once the drug is intro-

duced, instability in the mar-
ket can drive violence",
UNODC stated in its global
report, noting that Jamaica
provides a case where vio-
lence has become the norm
despite the efforts to eradicate
the trade. It noted that esti-
mates of the cocaine flow
through Jamaica dropped
from 11 percent of the U.S.
supply in 2000 to two percent
in 2005, and falling to one per-
cent two years later.
"This is reflected in
declining seizures in Jamaica

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The flow of illegal drugs and money between the Caribbean and U.S. has slowed.

and declining arrests and con-
victions of Jamaican drug traf-
fickers in the United States. It
is also negatively reflected in
the murder rate, which rose
from 34 per 100,000 in 2000 to
59 per 100,000 in 2008", it
stated.
"There are historical rea-
sons for this paradoxical
effect. The importance of
Jamaica as a transit country in
the cocaine trade really rose

after the violent 1980 elections
in that country. A large num-
ber of important crime figures
-including some so-called 'area
dons' and their enforcers- left
Jamaica for New York, where
they became key suppliers in
the crack cocaine boom".

CALM
The report noted that this
period of growing criminal
opportunities represented a
time of relative calm in
Jamaica.
"When this market died
out and cocaine flows began
to shift westward, these men
returned to Jamaica to find a
much less well organized
crime scene, where 'neighbor-

hood dons' had turned to
more direct means of income
generation: violent acquisitive
crime, including extortion and
robbery", it stated.
"The Jamaican cocaine
trade suffered another blow
when cooperative efforts
between Jamaican law
enforcement and the United
Kingdom sharply reduced the
air courier traffic to Europe
around 2002".
It noted that street-level
competition for diminishing
returns has fuelled growing
homicide rates; the highest in
the Caribbean and among the
highest in the world. UNODC
stated that a similar, but more
compressed, effect could also

'Sunday Project' offers welcome relief for struggling Haitians

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -
Carel Pedre is one of Haiti's
favorite celebrities. His morn-
ing show is the most popular
on Radio National, the coun-
try's widest-reaching station
and he's the host of Digicel
Stars, Haiti's version of
"American Idol".
When January's earth-
quake struck, he was back on
air within hours, sleeping in
his car outside the station and
opening the microphone to
those crying out for help.
"The first thing we did
was to let victims reach out to
their families via the radio, to
come on and simply say 'I'm
alive'," he said.
He also embraced
social networking platforms
Facebook and Twitter to send
out some of the first pictures
of the quake and conducted
interviews via Skype with
media around the world.
Once the initial shock of
the quake wore off, he started
thinking about doing some-
thing more practical to help.
On Easter Sunday, he and a
group of friends spontaneously
cooked up pots of soup,

loaded them into the back of
his car and drove around look-
ing for someone to give it to.

EXAMPLE
"I wanted to set an exam-
ple to everyone else," he said.
"Just to show people that it is
possible to do something...I
wanted to show that the time
for waiting is over."
Pedre and his friends ran-
domly stopped the car in Cit6
Soleil, Haiti's poorest slum,
which has a reputation for vio-
lence.
"We saw some kids that
looked hungry," he chuckles,
"and we just said 'this is the
place'. We couldn't drive
uphill, anyway, as the soup
would have spilt!"
That spontaneous act of
giving has morphed into the
"Sunday Project", which now
feeds over 350 children in Cit6
Soleil every weekend. It's still
an entirely homegrown opera-
tion. Pedre put the word out
for volunteers via his radio
show and via Twitter and the
group meets in a members's
house to cook up simple
meals in the kitchen then pack

them into Styrofoam contain-
ers.
I joined them on their
seventh Sunday and they had
managed to source extra food
in the form of crackers and
juice donated by local compa-
ny Tampico.
"When the food runs out,
we just hand out the rest of
the juice and we give them
crackers," Pedre explained.
"There's never quite enough,
which just proves how much
more there is for us to do.
"Ultimately, we'd like to
cut down on the containers,
which create rubbish, and
cook the food in Cite Soleil
itself. But that will take a bit
of time to organize, so in the
meantime we're just doing as
much as we can ourselves."

ORGANIZED CHAOS
The scene when the con-
voy of cars pulls up near some
open ground across the road
from the vast shantytown is
one of organized chaos com-
munity leaders cajole, boss
and even slap children into
tightly pressed but orderly
lines. The younger ones look

out wide-eyed from between
the legs of their older siblings,
each clutching a red ticket.
They file up some steps into a
ruined building to receive
their food package and a pre-
cariously balanced glass of
brightly colored juice, then
toddle off purposefully into
the slum's narrow alleyways.
Soon the packages are
gone, and those children who
arrive too late have to make
do with packets of crackers
and tiny bottles of juice. The
moment these run out, leaving
several children empty hand-
ed, is heartbreaking.
"We need to do so much
more," said Pedre, his usual
air of bonhomie gone.
"...We should be feeding
them every day, sending them
to school, finding them an
education..."

Gemma Pitcher/special to
CaribWorldNews.

To support the Sunday Project
by joining its Facebook group,
visit http://bit.ly/dzFMcv.

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have occurred in the
Dominican Republic where
the share of the U.S. cocaine
supply that transited
Hispaniola dropped from
eight pe cent in 2000 to two
percent in 2004, before rising
again to four percent 2005 and
nine percent in 2007.
"Around this time, the
murder rate in the Dominican
Republic doubled, from 13
per 100,000 in 2001 to 26 per
100,000 in 2005. It has
remained at high levels, and
the drug trade in the
Dominican Republic is still
volatile.
"Dominican traffickers
have grown in importance in
Europe since about 2005, and
today are second only to the
Colombians among foreign
cocaine traffickers arrested in
Spain, the primary point of
entry", the report added.
It stated that another shift
that may have affected local
stability is the reduction in air
courier traffic though the
Netherlands Antilles.

Opinions expressed by editors and writers
are not necessarily those of thepublisher.
Caribbean Today, an independent
news magazine, is published every month
by Caribbean Publishing & Services, Inc.
Caribbean Today is not responsible
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Today may not be reproduced without
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Immigrants beware

CARIBBEAN TODAY JULY 2010- 9

Sorry? You're so busted!

Just when you thought
many immigrants had
become savvy about the
immigration laws, fraudsters
have struck again, this time in
the Haitian community.
As if
Haitians have
not suffered
enough
already this
year, several
more have
become the
victims of
greedy immi-
gration service FELICIA
providers who PERSAUD
have been tar-
geting this
community since the Jan. 12
quake in Port-au-Prince.
According to New York
Attorney General Andrew
Cuomo, several companies in
Brooklyn, New York, includ-
ing Chay Pa Lou Community
Center, Inc., Delegue Tax
Consultant, Inc., and their
owner and operator Jean
Michel; as well as Rincher's
Multi-Service, a/k/a Rincher
Bookstore, a/k/a Rincher
Associates, a/k/a Haitian
American Entrepreneur's

Group, LLC, and their owners
and operators Deslande
Seixas-Rincher and Sharlene
Seixas-Rincher, targeted the
Haitian community with fraud-
ulent immigration services.
Last month, Cuomo
stepped up to bat for the
voiceless Haitians, slapping
lawsuits on the companies and
alleging that their owners -
who are not lawyers have
been illegally providing legal
advice and services to Haitian
immigrants. The attorney gen-
eral's investigation revealed
that these companies charged
Haitian immigrants for pro-
cessing immigration applica-
tions that could be filed for
free through a waiver or for a
nominal fee.
The companies also
charged some immigrants for
processing applications even
when they were not even eligi-
ble to stay in the United
States. Further, some immi-
grants paid for application pro-
cessing and legal services
that were never provided.
As non-lawyers, the owners
are prohibited from providing
legal advice or representing

o you remember the
words from the song
that goes, "You aren't
really sorry at all, you're just
sorry you got a.iugli or
something to that effect?
People will always try to
pull the wool over their part-
ner's eyes, but somehow, there
are still ways to find out what
they're up to...and, as we like
to say, "you're so buiLd ,
caught red handed, with your
hand in the cookie jar, fla-
grante delict in legal terms,
which is Latin for...you're so
busted.
Given the right circum-
stances, the truth will always
be unearthed, revealed, uncov-
ered, even though it's hidden
deep within the center. People
will go to any lengths to find
out the truth about what their
partners are doing, and they'll
stop at nothing until they are
satisfied.
The sad reality is, trust is
often lost after a relationship
has lost its shine and cheating
enters the picture. Cheating is
usually done under a veil of
secrecy with the other partner
not being aware of it, as the
cheater has great levels of
skill...or thinks so.

PRESSURE
Men and women put so
much pressure on each other,
and yet, after they acquire
each other, they still end up
cheating in the most creative
ways.
The trick now, is to find
out what your partner is doing.
Yes, people will go to any
length, and subject their part-
ner to all sorts of tests worthy
of any school quiz like, "Who's
smarter than a fifth grader",
"Jeopardy" and university
final exams all rolled into one.
Some men take it to the
extreme as they test their
women for lthlini_ like a
case that appeared in the press
a few months ago. It's really
quite disgusting, as this man
subjected his wife to the most
humiliating public search, test-
ing her to see if she had been
with another man. He actually

examined her
underwear,
right there on
the street,
which landed
him in court
of course.
But
women have
been doing TONY
this for years, ROBINSON
albeit only in
private, as I
know of wives who regularly
sniff their husband's under-
wear every night after he's
%ldLLinW. just to see if he was
cheating or not. I tell you, air-
port sniffer dogs and security
search officers could learn a
thing or two from these people
as they test their partners for
cheating.
Usually it's not so difficult
for a woman to test her man
for cheating though, as many
men get careless after a while,
or chat too much, so it's only a
matter of time before they fail
the cheating test.

HARD TIME
But it's the men who real-
ly have a hard time getting the
women to fail the test, for
women are either born to it, or
study real hard so that they
can pass with flying colors.
It really is scary, but it's
perhaps one of a man's biL.,l
fears, to have his woman cheat
on him. But they say that what
you fear shall certainly befall

you.
So, these women are so
secretive, that it takes a great
test master to discover their
activity. The trick is not to ask
questions, as that's really
pointless. A woman will
always know what to say, and
many men will just accept it as
the truth...because they want
to. It's far better to observe
the subtleties and mark her
test papers accordingly.
For example, if suddenly
she starts looking really sharp,
pretty, radiant and glamorous,
it's usually one of two things;
she either has a new man in
her life, or new life in her man.
And since you haven't taken
any energy tablets, it's got to
be the former...new man in
her life, so she failed that test.
So busted. Cock mouth kill
cock, and her vanity will give
her away.
Worse if she starts to go
out more, keeping late nights,
spending less time with you for
whatever reason, but more
with her 'friends', she's failed
that test also. Busted.

RISKS
Men will try almost any-
thing to get a little honey on
the side, and the risks that
they take are great. But that's
why it's called a risk, because
there's always a chance of get-
ting caught, of being busted.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 10)

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10 CARIBBEAN TODAY JULY 2010

Sorry? You're so busted!

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9)
So he'll come in late at night
reeking of perfume, or with
lipstick on his face, or even a
hickey or two. Careless man.
And even when he tries to
be careful, there is always
some little clue that gives him
away. If his wife does the laun-
dry and he happens to leave a
motel receipt in his pocket,
then he's so busted. Of course,
leaving his cell phone lying
around will also make him vul-
nerable to being busted.
So many great men have
been busted by seemingly
innocuous bits of evidence.
Presidents, busted by saved
underwear. Golfers, busted by
cell phone text messages.
Movie stars, busted by hidden
cameras.
People will even employ
the services of private eyes to
garner evidence and take pho-
tographs of their guilty part-

ners. And the camera does not
lie.
Even when men are
caught in the act, they will not
admit to being busted.

TRUE TEST
The true test though,
comes in the bedroom, as
there is a test paper that she
has to fill out correctly to pass
or fail. Ask her to tick the
appropriate box: Are you hav-
ing more or less sex with your
man? If the answer is less, the
chances are she's ilthlli,_ as
most women cannot deal with
two men for any sustained
period of time. The twist
though, is if answers yes to:
Are you suddenly being more
kinky with your man, or less?
If it's more, chances are she
learned the kinky stuff else-
where and wants to try it with
you...she failed again.
When she starts complain-
ing about sex with you, saying

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that it's boring and ordinary,
that's a failing grade too. And,
finally, when she starts to wear
more layers of clothing to bed
than a North Pole fisherman
and it's the middle of summer,
then you know she's failed that
test.
Sadly, this is one test that
men really want their women
to pass. For when they fail, the
whole school mash up and
everyone gets expelled. But as
one man told me:
"Why give any test?
Remember, it only hurts if you
care, so when you see the
signs, try and stop caring."
I guess that's one way to
deal with it. But in so many
cases, even when they try to
cover their tracks, they usually
make a mistake...and are so
busted.

seidol@hotmail.corn

Immigrants beware

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9)
anyone before immigration
authorities. Further, the law-
suits allege that the companies
are charging Haitian immi-
grants thousands of dollars for
processing immigration appli-
cations that could be filed for
free through a waiver.

TARGETS
The alleged fraud relates
to the United States
Department of Homeland
Security Temporary Protected
Status (TPS) program that will
allow undocumented Haitians
to stay in the country for 18
months. After Homeland
Security made its TPS
announcement, the attorney
general's office said it received
complaints that Haitian immi-

grants were being targeted
through advertisements by
companies offering fraudulent
and illegal immigration services
at exorbitant prices.
"In light of the recent dev-
astating earthquake in Port-au-
Prince, New York's Haitian res-
idents have sadly been a target
for immigration scams, bring-
ing further pain to a communi-
ty that has already suffered so
much," said Cuomo. "These
cases are a part of my office's
ongoing crackdown on immi-
gration scams throughout New
York and I urge anyone who
has been affected by this type
of fraud to contact my office."
Cuomo is seeking to per-
manently shut down these
companies and prevent them
from providing immigration
legal services. The lawsuits also

seek restitution for the victims
who have paid thousands of
dollars for legal services the
companies were not authorized
to provide and in many
instances did not provide.
I sincerely hope the vic-
tims of this alleged fraud get
the restitution they seek. But it
really is one more reason why
Congress and the Barack
Obama administration must
move to provide real reform so
that immigrants will not contin-
ue to fall prey to vampires who
continue to suck their hard
earned dollars and leave them
penniless and pained.

During boom and bust,
I'm bullish on Miami,
and nothing about the
last few years has changed
that.
Anyone who disagrees is
welcome to take a walk onto
Biscayne Boulevard past the
condos, bustling shops and
sidewalk cafes that were not
there six years ago. I'll take
you to the Adrienne Arsht
Center for the Performing
Arts which helped reinvent
Downtown Miami. I'll show
you projects from the Building
Better Communities bond
program, which is laying the
foundation for the next gener-
ation of growth in Miami-
Dade. And I'll give you an
amazing view of the whole
thing from the upper deck of
our new ballpark, which is on
track to be a national model
for public-private partner-
ships.
We have taken a yester-
year airport and are trans-
forming it into a gateway wor-
thy of what Miami has
become. We have taken a
seaport that is globally com-
petitive today and launched
extraordinary projects to
make it globally competitive
tomorrow.
We're providing jobs in

sectors that need them most at
a time when they're most
needed. Our challenge today
is...to be the architects of our
own best future, the authors
of our own greatest destiny.
For better or worse, we will
look back on this season in 10,
25 or 50 years, and realize
what a crucial turning point it
was.

SACRIFICES
Over the next few
months, this community will
hear news and make decisions
that simply have no precedent
in our modern history. Last
month, we learned that prop-
erty values fell more than 13
percent across the county.
Sacrifices are coming.
That is inevitable and, in some
ways, can be healthy. Over the
last three years, we at the
county have closed budget
gaps totaling $800 million.
Now we're facing a gap of
another $420 million.
For many of you, the
cracks have not yet appeared.
There's a degree to which
we're proud of that. We had
built up reserves and contin-
gency funds, and that helped
us persevere. We've been able
to streamline our operations
in ways my predecessors could
never have hoped.
We have fewer employees
per resident than we have had
since the early 1990s, and the
typical resident pays less for
government today, adjusted
for inflation, than they have in
for some 20 years. Our union
partners have made conces-
sions that their predecessors
would never have considered.
And our employees have
stepped up in ways we could
never have imagined.
Our police and firefight-
ers will still be keeping you
safe, the traffic lights will still
have electricity and the tap
water will still be clean, safe
and delicious. The time has
come, though, to talk about
what role government should
play in Miami-Dade County.
This community needs to
move past the sound bites and
into a great conversation.

George Burgess,
County Manager,
Miami-Dade County

LrC~h

CARIBBEAN TODAY JULY 2010* 11

8&ENETANMN

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Calypsonians threaten to boycott Grenada's carnival 2010

ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada,
CMC Calypsonians here are
threatening to boycott this
year's carnival celebrations if
the Tillman Thomas govern-
ment reduces the subvention
to facilitate the staging of vari-
ous shows across the island.
The government has said
it will provide EC$'i1, 11 111
($22, 346) this year, down
from EC$i ,1 1 111 (29,795) last
year, to share among the eight
calypso tents.
Head of the Grenada
Professional Association of
Calypsonians and Tent
(GPACT) Adrian Thomas
said that the subvention is to
supplement the drop in rev-
enues as a result of the low
turnout of patrons.
"This is money that was
aggressively negotiated for
and we will not just give that
up, we need it to continue
with the tents," he said.
But Colin Dowe, chair-

man of the Grenada Carnival
Committee (GCC), said he
hopes the performers would
re-think their position given
the effects of the global eco-
nomic crisis on Grenada.
"People are being sent
home and so it cannot be busi-
ness as usual," said Dowe.
"We are doing some restruc-
turing and just as persons
have to make adjustment in
their personal life so too the
GCC is adjusting its opera-
tions."

TOUGH TIMES
He said it was not right
for the committee to have a
debt of more than ES$300,000
($111, 731) annually and then
ask the government "to bail us
out for the new season and
the cycle continues again and
again, we are in recessionary
times."
He said that the authori-
ties had not followed other

A boycott threatens to cloud the color and spirit which has marked Grenada's carnival
in past years.

Caribbean countries, like
Barbados, in removing the
subvention totally.
"Barbados has cut out

subvention and instituted
Value Added Tax on cos-
tumes, but here we have
agreed to a moratorium for

this year on VAT for mas
bands...but we are still hear-
ing complaints," he said.
Earlier, GCC was forced
to reach a compromise with
the steel bands after they
threatened to pull out of car-
nival 2010 on the grounds that
that they had not yet received
payment of prizes for last
year.
Dowe said that as a result
of the financial situation, the
GCC has already decided that
the traditional Monday pag-
eant parade will now be held
on the streets rather than at
the National Stadium and that
the "Groovy" and "Soca"
monarch competitions will
now take place on the same
night with the GCC, saving an
estimated EC$''i 1,1 1"
Festivities to mark the
carnival begin the first week
of August.

Young filmmakers helping Haitian cinema flourish despite hardships

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -
When the earthquake hit the
southern Haitian town of
Jacmel on Jan.12, students at
the country's only film school,
Cind Institute, were on the
ground within hours.
Their classrooms col-
lapsed, but they salvaged what
equipment they could and
filmed the aftermath, the res-
cue efforts, and the collapse of
buildings weakened by the ini-
tial impact. The students'
footage was broadcast around
the world by networks includ-
ing CNN, PBS and CBC, and
their still photographs fea-
tured in the New York Times,
the Los Angeles Times,
France's Le Monde and The
United Kingdom's Guardian.
"It felt like a bad dream,
some of the time," said stu-
dent Hermane Desorme, 22.
"But it helped tremendously
to focus outwards on record-
ing what was going on in the
community, rather than focus-
ing inwards on all the stuff
that was going on inside my
head."
For three months after the
earthquake, the institute's class-
es were taught in the stifling
confines of an army tent, hasti-
ly erected at the airport. Over
15 short documentaries were
produced, on subjects ranging
from silent memorial services
and stories of heroism to a
child's view of the earthquake.
"Being all together at
school helped us deal with the
depression that kicked in after
the initial adrenaline wore off,"
says Ebby Angel Louis, a 28-
year-old second year student.

INTENT
Now more than four

months on, things are slowly
getting back to normal for the
graduating class of 2010.
They've found a new home in
a former dive center, an idyllic
spot with the turquoise sea
winking in the background
and classes held outside under
bougainvillea trees. The
relaxed venue belies a deadly
serious intent, though the
creation of a successful
Haitian film industry, and the
mobilization of film as a way
to empower Haitians to tell
their own stories to the world.
The students are hard at
work on a full-length docu-
mentary about one of Jacmel's
tented camps, which will fol-
low four central characters
through the birth, death, vio-
lence and joy that comes with
everyday life in Haiti.
"When we graduate,
we're all definitely going to
keep in contact," said Ebby.
"We need to collaborate with
each other and with other cre-
ative Haitians to form a cine-
ma culture, because until now
we haven't really had one. We
need to pool resources."
The Cind Institute was
founded in 2008 by American
filmmakers David Belle and
Andrew Bigosinski. They
managed to attract attention
from big names in United
States cinema, with Francis
Ford Coppola among those
who initially sent funds to
help buy equipment. The stu-
dents are taught by filmmak-
ers from all over the world.
Annie Nocenti, a teacher at
the school, is deeply proud of
the work the students have
done so far.
"We don't really have a
formal writing culture here,"

she explained "So we get the
students to work on scripts in
brainstorming sessions, and
they improvise together to
arrive at a plot and find natu-

ral dialogue. They've become
extraordinary filmmakers."
"Other people can't tell
our stories the way we can,"
said 30-year-old Marie-Andrd.

"The institute runs an agency
called Cind Services, which is
helping us to find work in on
commercials and on film proj-
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 12)

Hooper continued his domina-
tion of the "Vincy Soca
Monarch" competition when
he won the title for a seventh
time last month.
"My chemistry is getting
stronger and I'm doing my
thing to make Vincy Mas the
best carnival in the world,"
said Hooper, who defeated 14
other contestants, including
defending monarch Raeon
"Maddzart" Primus, who
placed second. Jason
'Galanaire' Bess placed third.

Young filmmakers helping Haitian

cinema flourish despite hardships

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11)
ects for some of the NGOs
(non-governmental organiza-
tions)."
STRUGGLE
Marie-Andr6 is working
on an autobiographical fea-
ture about a woman who
leaves her husband when he
refuses to let her carry on with
her film studies.
"I'm the only female
sound technician at the insti-
tute," she said proudly. "I
want to see more female tech-

- -
* ..I-

nicians coming into the indus-
try, but it's not always easy for
Haitian women to persuade
their families to let them study
something like this."
Her ambition? To forge
her own career in cinema,
then return to the Institute as
a teacher one day.
"Haitian cinema is going
to really start now," she said
confidently.
- Gemma Pitcher/special to
CaribWorldNews.

LOS ANGELES, California -
The father of the late Michael
Jackson's has filed a wrongful
death lawsuit against the
Grenadian-born doctor
charged with giving the pop
superstar a lethal dose of
sedatives one year ago.
Joe Jackson is accusing
the doctor of negligence,
secrecy and poor training.
The suit was filed last
month on the anniversary of
Michael Jackson's death in
Los Angeles.
The complaint, which
seeks more than $75,000,
accuses Dr. Conrad Murray of
professional negligence for

providing the singer with a
mix of sedatives including
the anaesthetic propofol that
authorities say killed him.
Propofol is normally
administered only in hospital
settings, but Dr. Murray had
been providing Jackson the
drug in the bedroom of the
singer's rented mansion here.
Jackson contends the
physician tried to conceal his
administration of the drug
after his son's death.
The lawsuit also names
medical clinics that Dr.
Murray operates in Las Vegas,
Nevada and Houston, claim-
ing they did not properly train

Celebrity designer Indashio for 'St
Jamaica's cultural and enter- use of fabric.
tainment capital Kingston will Indashio's
host international celebrity celebrity
stylist and designer Indashio, clients include
of VH-1's "Glam God" reality Amerie, yl
series, as he unveils his latest Aubrey O'day,
collection during "Styleweek Amanda
Jamaica" this month. Lepore, Kim
The event will be staged Kardashian, Indashi
July 9-11. Nicky Hilton,
Indashio, is no stranger to Christina
Styleweek and Jamaica, hav- Milian, Vanessa Carlton,
ing made his debut at the 2007 Vivica Fox and Tyra Banks.
staging, where he received The designer who currently
acclaim for his bold cuts and resides in New York City, said

wwwcari bbeanto daycom

or supervise the doctor.
Dr.
Murray has
pleaded not ji
guilty to an
involuntary
manslaughter
charge filed in
February. His
attorneys have
said that he Murray
did not give
Jackson anything that "should
have" killed him. Charles
Peckham, his civil attorney,
repeated that assertion on
June 25.

yleweek Jamaica'
this collection draws on the jet
set lifestyle of the wealthy in
New York and Hollywood
who go to tropical retreats
like Jamaica.
"Indashio is a really ener-
getic and talented young
designer whose infectious cre-
ative dynamism wows the
young celebrity set," said
Deiwght Peters, chief executive
officer of Saint International in
welcoming Indashio's return to
Jamaica.

r.Ac'.
^airtAh

CarePlus is committed to keeping

the health in health care.

So are our physicians.

Arleen Richards, M.D. ,'will t9 I .on., that tVai-n. good care of yc~,Irseit todar i
S-.hPe :;t w.-v 1i r'no d hpralth po-blmxrs ir thPe 4i.u' w'V'e cotidrin't agree
-r:' Prmv r-ion is o.;r fis-: 2ricr -y at C:irPlisi I IPa h Plans, Inc -
Dr. Richards attended ST-rtnvbrook Medical Schol ir, Long Island, NY,
where sep received her MPdical Degreo. She then completed her residency in
Internal Medicine at the Universitv of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Richafds was named to Top Piysiciars by Consumers R-search Cour.ci of America
n 2007 and has heei devoted to the Plantation community tor 20 years.
And we're proud ot Arleen Richards, M.D. and the other skilled -.::'hyic; ain in our
network. Together, we're working to keep the iea'-h in health care.

UNITED NATIONS The
Caribbean community
(CARICOM) claims despite
the progress, HIV/AIDS
remains a pressing challenge
within the region.
Guyana's Charge d'Affairs
to the United Nations George
Talbot, speaking on behalf of
the regional grouping, told the
United Nation's General
Assembly Review Of
International Efforts Against
HIV/AIDS last month that a
ri nI \\ d focus on prevention
efforts was needed to reach the
most at-risk population groups.
"Efforts by CARICOM
States, through the Pan
Caribbean Partnership against

HIV and AIDS (PANCAP),
towards mobilizing technical
support and resources have
become a challenge to under-
take in light of global crises,"
he said.
However, he said there
was still much to achieve,
making reference to the sign-
ing of the Partnership
Framework Agreement in
July 2009 and the approval of
a PANCAP proposal for $34.5
million by the Global Fund in
November last year.
Talbot said CARICOM
states were, in addition, pursu-
ing the establishment of a
Regional Technical Support
Facility as a joint initiative

between PANCAP and
UNAIDS.
COMMITMENT
He called for U.N. mem-
bers-states to fulfill their com-
mitments of Overseas
Development Assistance
(ODA) and urged active
involvement in the
Replenishment Conference of
the Global Fund in October.
"In light of linkages
between the Millennium
Development Goals, factors
such as education, the role of
women and children, and a
healthy workforce in sustain-
able development are vital in
combating HIV/AIDS," he
said.
Talbot said that CARI-
COM states were seeking to
ensure universal access to
HIV/AIDS related preven-

tion, treatment, care and sup-
port services for all persons in
need. He said this was
through collaboration with
regional and national entities,
the promotion of policies and
legislation addressing stigma

and discrimination, intensified
negotiations for reduced-cost
antiretroviral drugs, and
strengthened international
links with development part-
ners.

Children learn how to properly brush their teeth from Alisha Sands, a dental hygiene
student from Miami-Dade College Medical Center Campus, during last month's
"Health and Info Fair" at the Joseph Caleb Center. During the fair, put on by
Commissioner Audrey M. Edmonson, Miami-Dade residents were able to receive
health screenings from more than 30 medical and service organizations, including
Jackson Health System and the Miami-Dade County Health Department. Free immu-
nizations for children were administered, as well as blood pressure, glucose, body
mass index and other screenings.

Every half penny collected from the transportation srtax helps fund
important Miami-Dade Transit programs that help improve the lives
of people in our community just like you.
Patriot Passport all honorably discharged veterans who are
permanent residents of Miami-Dade County with Fimited income are
eligible to ride Metrobus and Metrorail free.
Gokden Passport provides free transportation on Metrobus and
Metrorail to all permanent Miami-Dade County residents 65 and older
as well as Social Security recipients.
For more Information about these programs visit
www.miamidade.gav/transit or call 3-1-1

ySSSQ^W **y^

BRUSHING UP ON HEALTH

14 CARIBBEAN TODAY JULY 2010

~ Celebrating Jamaica's 48th Independence

MAKING HER MARK

wwwcaribbeanto day.com

Summer getaways: Jamaica offering

special packages for holiday travelers

J amaica is offering several
special packages for trav-
elers needing to get away
this summer.
"Summer is a fantastic
time for travelers to experi-
ence Jamaica's more than 150
tours and attractions, gor-

United States President Barack Obama greets Audrey Marks, Jamaica's first female ambassador to the United States, in the Oval
Office at the White House after she presented her letters of credentials on June 28. The Jamaican envoy was accompanied by her
husband, Jassel Dunstan and their daughters Morgan and Madison. Ambassador Marks expressed Jamaica's desire to "deepen the
bonds of friendship and the ties of co-operation that have united" the people of Jamaica and the U.S. President Obama expressed
his desire to see the continued development of the relationship that exists between Jamaica and the U.S. Ambassador Marks
assumed duties on May 17, 2010.

geous natural surroundings,
and exciting line up of island
events." said John Lynch,
Jamaica's director of tourism,
in a recent press release.
"With many of Jamaica's
finest accommodations offer-
ing special savings and over
1.3 million air seats from gate-
ways across the U.S., an
affordable island getaway is
within reach."
Jamaica is served by all
major United States carriers,
with non-stop service avail-
able out of many U.S. gate-
ways. These routes also offer
convenient connections from
cities across the U.S. Nonstop
service to Jamaica this sum-
mer includes:
* American Airlines from
Miami, New York (JFK),
Dallas and Chicago (ORD);
* AirTran Airways from
Atlanta, Baltimore and
Orlando;
* Continental from Newark
and Houston;
* JetBlue from New York
(JFK) Boston and Orlando;
* Delta from New York
(JFK), Atlanta, Detroit,
Memphis and Minneapolis;
* Air Jamaica from New York
(JFK), Philadelphia and
Fort Lauderdale;
* U.S. Airways from
Charlotte, Phoenix and
Philadelphia;
* Spirit from Fort Lauderdale;
* Apple Vacations from
Chicago (ORD) and St.
Louis; and
* FunJet from St. Louis.

SUMMER PACKAGES
Breezes Runaway Bay

sage featuring tropical ingredi-
ents to boost the immune sys-
tem, as well as a manicure and
pedicure at the full-service h
la carte Blue Mahoe Spa; plus
a night pass to the neighbor-
ing Hedonism III, including
round-trip transfers.
The package is valid for
travel until Oct. 31. Ladies
seeking a longer retreat can
combine the Girls Golf
Getaway with the Every Fifth
Night Free promotion. Those
traveling before Aug. 21, and
who stay nine nights, will
receive the tenth night free,
representing an additional
savings of up to $350 per
room. Visit www.Breezes.com.
At Franklyn D. Resort &
Spa mom and dad can save 35
percent on family vacations
and kids under age six stay
free when traveling through
Dec. 16. At this all-suite, all-
inclusive family resort, each
family is assigned a vacation
nanny for the duration of their
stay. Families can also enjoy
daily meals from four restau-
rants, snorkeling, sailing, ten-
nis, interactive kids, preteens
and teens programs, live
nightly entertainment, plus a
shopping tour to Ocho Rios.
Visit www.fdrjamaica.com.

FUN, SAVINGS
Half Moon doubles the
fun of family savings with two
packages. The Summer Break,
available for a minimum of
four nights stay, gives families
$150 in resort credit per room,
as well as free breakfast for
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 26)

Jamaica is known for its
culture, people and beau-
ty. The island is also
famous for its beautiful
women.
No other Caribbean
island can boast winning the
coveted "Miss World" title
three times. Carole Crawford
brought home the crown in
1963, Cindy Breakspeare in
1976 and Lisa Hanna in 1993.
These women were not
only beautiful, but also talent-
ed and intelligent the perfect
ambassadors for Jamaica.
That tradition continues today
and extends beyond the island
to the diaspora.
Celebrating Jamaican cul-
ture and the arts, the 21st
Annual "Miss Jamaica
Florida" pageant showcased
the talent, intelligence and
beauty of young Jamaican
women in the United States
diaspora at South Florida's
Coral Springs Center for the
Performing Arts on June 27.
Ranging in ages from five to
21, the young ladies opened
the show with a rousing trib-
ute to the late Rex Nettleford,
a Jamaican cultural icon who
left a legacy of dance, litera-

ture and language. They con-
tinued to honor his memory
through their personal inter-
pretation of music, theater
and dance.
Five-year old Dana
Dixon, vying for the "Little
Miss Florida" crown, said it
best: "When I dance I feel like
I am playing music with my
body. Through dance I can tell
stories with my creative
expression."
Routines ranged from
modern dance to interpretive,

to ballet, while others showed
off their singing and theatrical
talent. Conivia Ramsay, sec-
ond runner-up in the "Miss
Teen Florida" category, per-
formed such a convincing part
as a frustrated "Jamerican" at
the Kingston airport forced to
"bruk out inna patwa" all
were convinced she is destined
for the theater.

SHINE
The formal wear parade
and interview segment to test

the ladies' poise and intelli-
gence truly made them shine.
Questions ran the gamut,
bringing focus to topics such
as mentorship, HIV/AIDS
and business. Asked, "if you
started your own business
what would your product be
and why would it be valuable
to consumers", "Miss Teen"
winner Jessica Waite
answered without hesitation:
"If I could start my own busi-
ness I would market my own
dermatological line majoring
in products for acne. I know
from my own personal experi-
ence that acne will scar
beyond pimples on your face.
My product would be a bene-
fit to consumers by allowing
them to not only to clear
physical blemishes, but the
emotional blemishes that acne
can leave behind."
Shanice Cox, winner of
the "Miss Jamaica Florida"
category, gave the audience a
valuable lesson on the
HIV/AIDS epidemic with her
answer to the question "What
advice would you give to
young children in this audi-
ence and also your peers on
how to prevent HIV?"
"As my peers I would tell
you guys to practice absti-

nence, and if not, practice safe
sex," Cox said. "Today we are
affected by this deadly virus,
and one in 50 African
Americans have contracted
this virus or disease. Now, out
of that it's 49 percent of us as
teenagers who have contract-
ed it through sexual transmis-
sion. Now that's a very steep
number. And as my peers, if
you are sexually active, I
would advise you to take
annual screening to test if you
are positive or negative. These
statistics are not just from out
of the blue, this is from the
Centers for Disease and
Prevention, and the key word
is prevention. AIDS sees no
race, no face, no color, no
socioeconomic status or sexual
preference. So, if you want to
save your life, have knowl-
edge and know that this is out
and you need to be aware."

LEGACY
The "Miss Jamaica
Florida" pageant was
launched in 1989 by Anthony
Baker as a means of showcas-
ing young Jamaican talent.
Although Baker is not alive
today to witness the 21st

Publix.
ir 4 I c A F c H 7 :E P I P. C:, i 5 I iC I F I
wmtr.f^Wfi~l~im

16 CARIBBEAN TODAY JULY 2010

~ Celebrating Jamaica's 48th Independence

wwwcaribbeanto day.com

Jamaica Women of Washington earn high praise for charity work

WASHINGTON, D.C -
Audrey Marks, Jamaica's
ambassador to the United
States, has lauded the Jamaica
Women of Washington
(JWoW) organization for con-
tributing just over J$1.75 mil-
lion to a number of charitable
organizations in Jamaica.
In her address to the
organization's 8th Annual

Tea-off for Good Health and
Silent Auction, delivered by
Sharon Miller, the deputy
chief of missions at the
Embassy of Jamaica, in down-
town Washington last month,
the ambassador said JWoW's
contribution was no small
feat. Over the years, she said
"through your generosity and
talent of your members, you

have positively impacted the
life of scores of under-served
citizens by focusing on issues
such as the prevention of
HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnan-
cy and infant mortality." Over
the past five years, according
to Marks, organizations that
have benefitted from JWoW's
contributions include the
Combined Disabilities
Association; the University
of the West Indies (UWI)
Development and Endowment
Fund; Jamaica AIDS Support;
Mensana Community for the
Upliftment of the Mentally Ill;
Westmoreland Association of
Street People; Children First;
Women's Media Watch;
Family and Parenting Center;
and Western Society for the
Upliftment of Children.
The Cornwall Regional
Hospital, the ambassador
noted, received neonatal
equipment valued at
J$1,780,000 ($20,000) from
JWoW last year. The equip-
ment included infant warmers,
bilirubinometers, which are
used to test infants for jaun-
dice, and pulseoximeters,
which measure blood oxygen
levels.
Ambassador Marks said
JWoW's theme for this year,
"Homelessness: It Takes a
Village to Shelter the
Vulnerable", is no less impor-
tant as the scourge of home-
lessness can be seen in every
society.
"I therefore laud your
decision to spotlight this issue
and its attendant social cost,
as well your contribution to
the reconstruction efforts in
Haiti," the ambassador noted.
"Your focus on homeless-
ness is both timely and inspi-
rational. While we normally
view the homeless as persons
who are destitute and without

Haiti's Ambassador to the United States Raymond Joseph, right, accepts a token from
Dr. Jacqueline Watson, president of the Jamaica Women of Washington during the
JWoW's 8th Annual Tea-Off for Good Health and Silent Auction last month.

shelter, might I t~1uI- lI that
being forced to live without
the protection of the state,
and having your freedom and
the ability to decide your des-
tiny on your terms within the
norms of a civilized society,
severely curtailed, could be
viewed as being destitute and
lacking in hope for a better
tomorrow."
Ambassador Marks told
the audience that Jamaica, in
the past weeks, has been
forced to confront this hope-
lessness as the government,
with the collaboration of civil
society have begun the long
and difficult process of dis-
mantling garrisons.
"There is therefore a need
for all Jamaicans, both at
home and abroad, to act in
unison to ensure that this
process moves forward," said
Marks. "We must recognize
that Jamaica is at tipping
point, and failure to act could
result in us being at this place,
once more, in the not too dis-
tant future."
The Jamaican envoy chal-
lenged the executive and
members of JWoW, as well as
all Jamaicans and friends of
Jamaica, "to join us as we
begin this journey to build a
better Jamaica."
In her remarks, Michelle
Fenty, wife of Washington
D.C.'s mayor, who is of
Jamaican heritage, commended
JWoW for its contribution in
assisting the less fortunate and
under-served in the District of
Columbia. She noted that the
two charities to receive assis-
tance this year, the Harriett
Tubman Women's Shelter and

My Sister's Place, are worthy of
the assistance offered by
JWoW
Haitian Ambassador
Raymond Joseph, in his
remarks, thanked JWoW on
behalf of the government and
people of Haiti for selecting
the country as one of its main
beneficiaries from this year's
fund raising efforts. He con-
gratulated JWoW for its deci-
sion to improve the health and
quality of life of the under-
served and vulnerable women,
children and families.
"Undoubtedly, your focus
is primarily Jamaica, but I
applaud you for also including
the Caribbean region," he
said.
Ambassador Joseph
expressed thanks for the show
of solidarity with Haiti at a vul-
nerable time in the Caribbean
country's existence.
JWoW President Dr.
Jacqueline Watson said the
organization's mission is to
provide support to improve
the health and quality of life
of women, children, and fami-
lies in Jamaica as well as in
Washington, D.C. Dr. Watson
disclosed that the both ambas-
sadors Marks and Joseph will
jointly decide on the two proj-
ects (in Haiti and Jamaica) to
benefit from this year's fund
raising efforts.
JWOW's membership is
representative of a broad
cross-section of Jamaican
women in the U.S. capital,
drawn from a range of inter-
ests and occupations.

- Edited from JIS
4

www.cari bbeantoday.com

CARIBBEAN TODAY JULY 2010- 17

'Yt1 S7W PtJPLJEM1IENhT

~ Celebrating Jamaica's 48th Independence

Jamaican authors charm young readers with delightful lessons from home

animal sanctuary, readers
meet the Cruckshankle family
as they prepare to fly south
for a warmer climate. Before
they leave their comfortable
thatched roof cottage in the
friendly town of Windsor
Hollow, Plim-Plim and her
brother Dancy fly off to bid

their friends farewell for the
winter. This is where the
adventure begins, for the
inquisitive Plim-Plim finds
herself in a life-threatening
predicament based on sugar-
coated words from a I.,l
friend". But, she learns a valu-
able lesson. Young readers

will too.

MUCH TO TELL
Asked where she came up
with the names in this rich
fairy tale fantasy,
Wedderburn, laughing, says
"my grandmother called me
Plim-Plim as a little girl...The

stories developed in my head
as I was growing up. I have so
much to tell."
Indeed, both authors tell
their stories in a rhythmic
voice, quite like the unique
cadence that define Caribbean
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 18)

friendships,
childhood memories and les-
sons about putting trust in
those we love.
Through the eyes of 12-
year-old Todd Christian, read-
ers relive the colorful, tropical
life so familiar before the
journey to "farrin" for a bet-
ter life. Certainly not a sad
tale, the story elicits reflection
on what life might have been.
So too, the feathery char-
acters in "Adventures with
Bilari & Plim-Plim" are set to
take on two journeys one
real, the other taking them
through a lesson on trust.
With names like Mother
Florriebecca, Pularchi,
Croppet Rarerattle and places
like Bottleneck Mews and
Muss Muss Manor, author
Monica Wedderburn, also
Jamaican, tickles the imagina-
tion, pulling in young readers
with a daring tale.
Set in what might be an

attended school intermittently
between the ages of seven and
12. On days when her father
could not give her lunch
money, she stayed at home.
When rain washed out the
road, she was housebound.
This meant that she had only
the rudiments of an education.
At 13 she got her first job,
watering tobacco at the nurs-
ery of a local factory. Her
wage was one shilling and
three pence per day. She used
the three pence to buy lunch,
gave her mother a shilling a
week and managed to save
from the remaining four
shillings. Food was provided
by her parents.
When she worked her
way up and eventually planted
tobacco, she earned four

follow her mother's reading,
but feels now that this was
because she knew the stories
so well rather than a measure
of her own literacy.
Against this background,
it is remarkable that at age 66,
Kingsley has had two books of
children's stories published
and a third is in process.
How did this come about?
After Muriel married and had
two children, her husband
moved to England where he
had family already settled.
When she applied to join him,
people helped her to complete
the forms as she found stan-
dard English difficult. She
admitted she could not read
properly.
Her early jobs in London
were as a cook or cleaner, but

Kingsley displays her books in her gar-
den in London.

classes. When her children
went to school, she attended
classes during the day.
Over the years she has
taken classes in English, math-
ematics, creative writing,
painting and drawing. She
achieved city and guilds level

education classes, her fear of
English continued. When she
began the cookery course, she
was horrified to discover that
she had to write papers. Her
teachers and her children
helped, but it was never easy.
One day, during an
English class, the teacher gave
her a picture of a man sitting
under a tree and asked her to
write a story about it. She
saved her effort and will
incorporate it into her third
book.
Writing poetry came more
easily to Kingsley than prose.
She found poems fun to write.
Yet in true Jamaican oral tra-
dition, she told stories to her
grandchildren. Her character
"Mary-Ann" was a little girl
in rural Jamaica in the 1950s

1-
i
i"

ENCOURAGEMENT
Kingsley's children
encouraged her to try to find a
publisher for two stories:
"Mary-Ann's Grandma's
Ghost Story" and "The Two
Little Mice and Mary -Ann".
The first two publishers
she approached told her the
books did "not fit in with what
they were doing." One of her
grandchildren found another
publisher and advised her to
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 22)

Jamaican authors

charm young

readers with

delightful lessons...
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17)
people. Like Wedderburn,
Hudson's main characters,
Todd and his sister Zara,
build bonds with friends,
long-lost relatives and
strangers, but learn to deci-
pher the sincere from the
false. The story builds as it
progresses, creating a tempo
youthful readers can follow.
The beauty of "Leaving
Home" also lies in the island-
home descriptions:
I watched my friends
swim and splash about in the
clear waters of the Rio
Grande, and my eyes moved
to the luscious green hills that
stretched for miles, embrac-
ing the mountains like old
friends, the bamboo trees
swaying in the breeze and the
tall coconut trees, which
arched up in the air as if
wanting to touch the sky...
It is the imaginative illus-
trations by Gibran Kahlil
Brown and Wedderburn's
unique words that will make
"Adventures with Bilari &
Plim-Plim" unforgettable for
young readers.

Dawn A. Davis is a freelance
writer for Caribbean Today.
Both books are available on
Amazon.com. "Leaving
Home" is published by
Author House. "Adventures
with Bilari & Plim-Plim" is
published by Push Kuya
Publishing LLC.

South Miami

E1 Hospital
BAPTIST
HEALTH
hapntisheat, h.net/interntmniial

SV "' W wwwcari bbeanto day.com

~ Celebrating Jamaica's 48th Independence

Jamaican conquers illiteracy to enrich grandma's storytelling tradition
MARIE GREGORY shillings a day. with four more children she in cookery, then enrolled in a when, according to Kingsley,
Kingsley's mother read could not work regularly or four-year ceramics course "life was pure and simple."
Muriel Kingsley is a remark- the Bible to her each day. full time. She decided to take which earned her a diploma. Storytelling then was part of
able woman. Muriel eventually bought her advantage of adult education everyday life. Grandmothers
Raised in rural own Bible, but her reading FEAR were the narrators who passed
Clarendon, Jamaica she skills were limited. She could .,_ A Throughout the adult on history and traditions.

"

wwwcari bbeantoday~com

CARIBBEAN TODAY JULY 2010* 19

SP'P[EM!NT

~ Celebrating Jamaica's 48th Independence

Alanvlar in kI V fnr C ilmmar Palanr*oinnI

IiBnAl1III IIIII. IU1 U U11111H11 U I IUiaiUII

NEW YORK Renowned
Jamaican jazz pianist Monty
Alexander is set to turn the
heat up this summer with a
return to New York City.
Alexander, who has the
distinction of being named

Alexander

one of the greatest piano
players in jazz history, is set
to bring his "Summer
Celebration" to Dizzy's Jazz
Club at Lincoln Center from
July 20-25. He will be on stage

for two shows per night, at
7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.,
respectively.
The Kingston-born musi-
cian said that he and his
ensemble are looking forward
to "bringing uplifting and pos-
itive Jamaican rhythms and
vibrations in our current chal-
lenging ti 'i to Lincoln
Center.
Alexander has performed
with the likes of Frank Sinatra,
Tony Bennett, Ray Brown,
Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins,
Clark Terry, Quincy Jones,
Ernest Ranglin, Barbara
Hendricks, Bill Cosby, Bobby
McFerrin, Sly Dunbar, Robbie
Shakespeare and on the
"Concrete Jungle, The Music
of Bob Marley" collection.
In a career spanning five
decades, Alexander, a largely
self-taught musician, has built
a reputation for exploring and
bridging the worlds of
American jazz, popular song
and the music of his native
Jamaica. He has recorded
over 60 albums.

- Edited from CaribPR Wire.

SUMFEST SIZZLE

.- -. -

Jamaican stars, from left, Shaggy, Etana and Beenie Man, plus Mavado and Queen Ifrica, along with American R&B singers
Chris Brown and Usher, are expected to take top billing at this year's Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica. The music festival is sched-
uled for July 22-24 at Catherine Hall, St James. Each year, the festival draws thousands of local and overseas visitors to
Jamaica's western city of Montego Bay. Organizers said that in addition to entertainment, Reggae Sumfest is expected to sig-
nificantly boost the local economy.
"We expect Reggae Sumfest to be a major contributor to the economic landscape for this year," Johnny Gourzong, executive
director of Summerfest Productions, producers of Reggae Sumfest, said in a recent press release.
"This festival causes people to not just spend on it, but to spend in preparation for it, and in several other endeavors related to
it, and this year should be no different."

Jamaica approves casino gambling

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC -
The long-awaited casino bill
has been signed into law fol-
lowing its recent passage in
both houses of Parliament.
As a result, the way is
now clear for the establish-
ment of the Casino Gaming
Commission and the crafting
and implementation of appro-
priate regulations.
However, Junior Finance
Minister Arthur Williams said
great care had to be taken in
ensuring that the regulations
comprehensively address the
details governing the roll-out
of casino gambling in Jamaica.
He said the major challenge
was to ensure that casinos are
operated according to the

strict rules that are set out in
the domestic legislation.
With the approval of the
new bill, officials say the plan
is to legalize casinos in the
tourist capital of Montego Bay
and the northern parish of
Trelawny, in the hope of
encouraging Las Vegas-styled
casino hotel resorts.
It was feared that the bill
would not have been signed
into law due to the religious
beliefs of Governor General
Patrick Allen, who is a
Seventh Day Adventist.
However, Information
Minister Daryl Vaz said the
bill was eventually signed.
*

IRIE FM's creator dies

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC -
Karl Young, the creator of
Jamaica's first ever all-reggae
radio station IRIE FM died
last month died from a lung-
related medical condition,
according to his family.
The businessman died fol-
lowing surgery in the United
States.
Young revolutionized the
reggae industry with a 24-hour
format that enabled IRIE FM
to become the most popular
station island wide over the
last decade.

Launched on Aug. 1,
1989, IRIE FM stands as a
testament to Young's will,
character, spirit and originality
that saw him going on to
launch another successful
radio station, ZIP 103 FM,
which has emerged as one of
the island's most popular
media entities, industry offi-
cials said.
Young also operated the
Basement Night Club, where
major local acts performed.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -
Age is just a number
goes the old saying. This ||
is especially true for
Jamaican Veronica
Wisdom who celebrated
her 101st birthday here
recently.
Born in Alexandria,
in the parish of St. Ann,
Jamaica, on May 23,
1909, Wisdom migrated
to the United States more
than 60 years ago. She
currently resides in the
Washington D.C. metro-
politan area.
Since coming to the
U.S. Wisdom has estab-
lished herself in the
Caribbean community,
serving as mother, aunt,
friend and mentor to an
unknown number of per-
sons of Caribbean and
non-Caribbean descent. Elise
"Aunt Ver", as she is samp
affectionately called in
the U.S. capital, is a founding
member of the Jamaica
Nationals Association (JNA)
here. She helped keep the
JNA going through many dif-
ficult times, often financing
events from her own pocket.
In 1966 JNA recognized her
for the invaluable contribution
she made not only to her com-
munity in the U.S., but also
Jamaica.

Close friend and founding
member of JNA Rayniss
Mayne described Aunt Ver as
an effervescent woman whose
home was always open to stu-
dents, particularly those
attending Howard University.
Among them was John Junor,
a former Jamaica government
minister. Her home was also
considered the home away
from home for a many senior
police officers from Jamaica,
among them retired former
Assistant Commissioner of
Police Reverend Allan Lewis.
Wisdom was an indefati-
gable hostess, well known for
her parties with sumptuous
food, including hard dough
bread, Easter bun and other
Jamaican fare. She was never
tired of extending a helping
hand to persons in need. For
her work in the community
she received several awards.

'FAITH'
In reflecting on her life,
Aunt Ver told JIS news that
"my profound faith in the
Almighty made me stick to
my church and serve as a dea-
con for many years in the
Northminister Presbyterian
Church."
She said one of the secrets

to her longevity is she always
enjoys a glass of wine and "cut
the rug" (dancing).
Jamaica's Ambassador to
the U.S. Audrey Marks con-
gratulated Wisdom on behalf
of Prime Minister Bruce
Golding and the government
and people of Jamaica and
wished her continued long
life.
On the occasion of
Wisdom's 101th birthday on
May 23, her church communi-
ty, along with family members,
representatives of the JNA
and friends hosted a special
birthday reception in her
honor at the church's fellow-
ship hall.
Aunt Ver has two sons,
Leonda and Clarence Lee,
several grand and great grand-
children, as well as several
nieces and nephews. She is
being cared for by who she
describes as her special nieces
- Winnie Greaves and Inez
Barnes, as well as her sons
and their families supported
by a team of caregivers.

Mission impossible?: Officials set out to repair country's image after unrest

LEROY ADOLPHUS

NEW YORK Jamaica's
Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett
said he is on a mission to
repair his country's image fol-
lowing the civil unrest that left
76 people dead recently.

Bartlen

Bartlett, who attended the
annual Caribbean Tourism
Week here last month, told
the Caribbean Media
Corporation (CMC) that there
is no doubt that the island's
image had been affected when
the security forces clashed
with gunmen loyal to fugitive
Christopher "Dudus" Coke,
who was wanted in the United
States on drug trafficking and
gun running charges.
"Part of my mission
here...is to use this opportuni-
ty to kick start that process
and to move on to the United
Kingdom and to Canada in
the exercise," Bartlett said.
"The first five months of
the year have been strong per-

formance months for Jamaica,
and I think perhaps our most
significance performance is
out of the United States mar-
ket where we have increase by
10 percent over last year,
which really is phenomenal."
He said an assessment
done by the Jamaica Tourist
Authority revealed that the
island could lose an estimated
J$350 million ($10 million) as
a result of the mayhem in
West Kingston.
"What we are driving at is
ensuring that the loss is not a
reality and the campaign
which we are on, is first to
restore the confidence in the
destination, and secondly to
move beyond that to ensure
that the growth projections
that we have for the year is
realized and that growth is
estimated at six percent."

CAMPAIGN
Bartlett said that the pro-
motional campaign is designed
also to ensure that persons
who were booked to visit
Jamaica do not cancel.
"So the campaign has to
be really strong, driving values
of the destination, the histori-
cal connections that people
would have had and more
importantly that the fact that
the people that are there are
having a great time," he
explained.
Recently, St. Lucia's
Tourism Minister Allan
Chastanet told CMC that the

American Friends of Jamaica honors

JNBS at South Florida gala

CORAL GABLES, Florida -
The American Friends of
Jamaica (AFJ) recently hosted
a gala here in honor of
Jamaica.
The annual affair is the
organization's major fundrais-
ing event and this year it was
used to recognize the Jamaica
National Building Society
(JNBS).
JNBS began business over
130 years ago. The company
has pioneered a multifaceted
approach to national advance-
ment, which has influenced
the quality of life of Jamaican
citizens through contributions
to education, entrepreneurial
activities and philanthropic
initiatives.
JNBS is now a multi-
national organization, aug-
mented by 11 subsidiary com-
panies and five overseas
offices, with its main opera-
tions in the areas of finance,
information technology and
insurance and automobile
services. Its core business con-

tinues to be savings and home
loans.
The AFJ presented JNBS
with the "Humming Bird
Award for International
Achievement" in recognition
of the company's philanthrop-
ic accomplishments and lead-
ership initiatives. The AFJ
also deepened its partnership
with the JNBS by announcing
plans for a pilot program for
donors in the U.S. to be able
to make charitable tax-
deductible contributions
through the AFJ to Jamaica.
These donations would be
directed to AFJ educational
initiatives, among them the
JNBS's Jamaica Partnership
for Education.
AFJ President and retired
U.S. Ambassador Sue M.
Cobb pledged renewed com-
mitment to educational,
healthcare and economic
development in Jamaica, with
grant in aid funds earmarked
for charities on the island.

violence incidents
in Jamaica, had
the potential to
affect the region
tourist industry.
Bartlett agreed
that the "brand
Jamaica is
stronger than the
rest of the
Caribbean" and
agreed with
Chastanet even
though he noted
that the "timings
were a little off in
making such a
comment.
"But he is my
friend and I
understand the
point he was mak-
ing at the time.
Whatever hap-
pens to us does
reflect in the
wider sense in the
Caribbean, so
therefore the
move to ensure
Jamaica's image is
repair quickly is
important to the
Caribbean as well
because the
impact of that will
benefit the
Caribbean over-
all."

Nancy's a realtor. Here's how she
saved time by going online ac miamidade.gov.

Looked up property sales
Located schools and pools
in the neighborhood
Pinpointed flood zones
Searched foreclosure properties
Signed up for quarterly business
updates from the Councy.

All this without her cell phone.
Now Nancy's got time -
"hands free" time.

S SSave time. Go online.

miamidade.gov

zctbr E'cdwc Evccy Zy

22 CARIBBEAN TODAY JULY 2010

~ Celebrating Jamaica's 48th Independence

wwwcar bbeanto day.com

'Little Ochi Seafood Carnival' offers holiday spice

F forget the hot dogs, ham-
burgers and backyard
BBQ. Pack up the family
and head to Jamaica for a
sumptuous culinary adventure
during the Little Ochi Seafood
Carnival on July 11.
"Jamaica is celebrated for
its delectable cuisine, a distinct
product of the island's rich
culture and history," said
Jamaica's Director of Tourism
John Lynch.
"(The carnival honors) the
legacy of our distinct and
unique flavors, as well as the
people who take pride in pre-
serving our culture and sharing
it with curious minds and
adventurous souls."
The Little Ochi Seafood

Carnival is a celebration of
culinary delights that are
famed on Jamaica's South
Coast. "Little Ochi" is nestled
on the rugged beachfront of a
quaint South Coast fishing vil-
lage called Alligator Pond in
Manchester. On July 11, visi-
tors and locals will dine on the
beach while enjoying the laid-
back island atmosphere and
hospitality.
Patrons can anticipate
local seafood infused with
Jamaican flare including pep-
pered shrimp, stewed conch
and octopus, jerk lobster and
foiled roasted fish. Guests can
also groove to the rhythmic
sounds of reggae as they will
be entertained by Byron Lee's
Dragonaires and other local

reggae musicians.
The technique of "jerk-
ing" is thought to have origi-
nated with Jamaica's Maroons,
descendents of slaves who
were freed from their Spanish
masters and lived in the
island's most remote mountain

areas. Meat is first marinated
for hours in an incendiary mix-
ture of peppers, pimento
seeds, scallion and thyme and
then cooked over an outdoor
pit lined with pimento wood.
(The Maroons did the cooking
underground to camouflage

the smoke.) The low heat
allows the meat to cook slowly,
retaining the natural juices
while becoming infused with
the flavor of the wood and the
different spices.
g

John Woolcock, left, Jamaica Tourist Board's (JTB) business development manager for Boston, shares information about what to
do in the Caribbean island with an attendee at the third annual Harvard Negotiation and Leadership Conference held recently at
Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The JTB showcased the destination's varied offerings during the
recent conference.

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18)
try again. The two books were
accepted for publication and
have been beautifully illustrat-
ed. They are suitable for
young children who either
have a Jamaican background
or who can appreciate another
culture.
Kingsley is pleased that
her six children have had edu-
cational opportunities which
she did not. One son has a
Ph.D. in psychology, another
has an M.B.A. One teaches,
one is a baker. All have jobs
and are scattered throughout
England. One son was able to
visit Jamaica when he won a
poetry prize.

VISIT
Kingsley has made one
visit to her homeland after 30
years away. She stayed with
her sister and noted the
improvement in electricity
supply and that everyone had
telephones, although roads
were still poor and public
transport was lacking. She
said it was lovely to wake up
in the mornings in rural
Jamaica, and when she heard
the crickets and tree frogs at
night she felt she was a little
girl again.
Another long held ambi-

tion has been fulfilled in that
Kingsley now owns her own
house in Thornton Heath,
London. For years she lived in
apartments, first in West
Kensington, then in Battersea,
then Putney. Finally in 2002,
she was able to buy a spacious
home and to have a garden of
her own, This is her great love
and occupies her spare time.
The roses are beautiful and
she has even managed to grow
bananas inside! She rents an
allotment on which she grows
vegetables.
Kingsley attributes her
success to the adult education
classes. According to her,
"they did it" and she is grate-
ful to the teachers for their
encouragement.
She sums up her philoso-
phy by saying: "If you put
your mind to something, you
can achieve, perhaps not to go
to the moon but something
within reason."
She should know. Not
many people who left school
at 12, barely literate, can claim
to have had two children's
books published .The third
will be published this summer.

Marie Gregory is a freelance
writer for Caribbean Today.

PLACES TO GO, THINGS TO DO

wwwcari bbeantoday.com

CARIBBEAN TODAY JULY 2010- 23

'Yt1 S7W PtJPLJEM1IENhT

~ Celebrating Jamaica's 48th Independence

Anderson becomes first Jamaican judge to sit on CCJ bench

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC -
Former University of the West
Indies lecturer Winston
Anderson has taken the oath
of office as a judge of the
Caribbean Court of Justice
(CCJ), becoming the first
Jamaican to sit as a jurist on
the regional court.
Anderson told last

month's ceremony at King's
House, the governor general's
official residence in Jamaica,
that he was humbled by his
appointment to the Trinidad-
based court that has been
operational for the past five
years.
"There are not many
places in this world of ours

that a journey such as mine is
possible," he told the gather-
ing that included Governor
General Sir Patrick Allen,
CCJ President Michael de la
Bastide and Jamaica' sPrime
Minister Bruce Golding,
among others.
"I shall be forever hum-
bled by the faith of Caribbean

Jamaica-based hotelier is new CHTA president

Josef Forstmayr, managing
director of Round Hill
Hotel and Villas in
Montego Bay, Jamaica, last
month assumed the presiden-
cy of the Caribbean Hotel and
Tourism Association (CHTA)
for a two-year term ending in
June 2012.
Following recent meetings
with the CHTA executive
team and outgoing CHTA
President Enrique De
Marchena Kaluche, who now
takes over the chairmanship
of CHTA, Forstmayr outlined
the various objectives he wish-

es to address
during his
two-year term
as president.
Key
issues for
Forstmayr
include: stim-
ulating mem-
bership
growth, par-
ticularly
amongst the
region's new
larger chain
hotels; provid-
ing greater
support for
the Caribbean
Society of
Hotel

international status of
Caribbean cuisine; and reviv-
ing the public and private sec-
tor's regional marketing initia-
tive through the proper fund-
ing of the Caribbean Tourism
Development Company
(CTDC) a marketing com-
pany owned equally by CHTA
and CTO.
%IIllL his days as presi-
dent of the Jamaica Hotel and
Tourism Association, I've
worked very closely with Josef
and have found him to be
remarkably competent and
adept in his approach to hotel

Forstmayr, left, accepts the gavel signifying his move up to president of
from former President Enrique De Marchena Kaluche.

marketing and extremely deci-
sive and visionary as an indus-
try leader," said Alec
Sanguinetti, director general
and chief executive officer of
CHTA.

VISION
His ability to integrate

local communities in support-
ing the vision of the hotel and
tourism sector in its daily
operations has resulted in a
greater understanding of the
industry and its importance to
the economic development of
the constituency in which it
operates."
Forstmayr began his
career in the fall of 1979 as
assistant manager at Coconut
Cove in Negril, later moving
to the Tryall Golf and Beach
Hotel as resident manager. He
served as general manager at
the Trident Villas and Hotel in
Port Antonio,
Jamaica, until arriv-
ing at his current
position as Managing
Director of Round
Hill Hotel and Villas
in Montego Bay.
Forstmayr held
the role of president
of the Jamaica Hotel
and Tourism
Association (JHTA)
from June 2001 to
2003. He was voted
"Caribbean Hotelier
of the Year" by the
CHTA membership
in 2007 and currently
the CHTA, sits on the Board of
Directors for the

Jamaica Tourist

Board.
Born in Austria,
Forstmayr attended the
University of Salzburg, where
he studied economic sciences
and tourism. He is fluent in
four languages German,
English, French and Italian.
*

AMnaerson

people in affording me this
opportunity to serve."
Anderson's appointment fol-
lowed the retirement of

Justice Duke Pollard, who
served as a CCJ judge since
Feb. 2005. He also previously
served as general counsel for
the Caribbean community
(CARICOM) secretariat in
Guyana from 2003 to 2006.
The CCJ was set up to be
the final court of appeal for
CARICOM countries.
However, only Barbados,
Belize and Guyana have fully
signed on to both jurisdictions
of the court, while other CARI-
COM member states continue
to embrace London's Privy
Council as their highest court.
4

SWhy Do Jamaicans Run
So Fast", a film featuring
super sprinter Usain Bolt,
will have a United States pub-
lic screening this month in the
South Florida city of Miramar.
The film will be shown
twice 2 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
-on July 10 at the Miramar
Cultural Center.
It chronicles the accom-
plishments of gold medal-win-
ning Jamaican sprinters Usain
Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser,

Asafa Powell, Veronica
Campbell-Brown and Melanie
Walker at the 2008 Beijing
Olympics. Set against a
Jamaican backdrop, scenes
include interviews with the
athletes, their families, reggae
and dancehall artistes, govern-
ment and athletic community
officials, and fans.
For more information,
contact the Miramar Cultural
Center at 954-602-4500.

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15)
anniversary of the extravagan-
za he founded, his wife and
current president, Marcia
Eigg-Baker, continues his
legacy through Anthony
Baker Incorporated. Now in
association with Partners for
Youth Foundation, the pag-
eant is also a platform to raise
funds for orphanages, hospi-
tals, and other charitable insti-
tutions.
One deserving young lady
is also awarded a cash scholar-
ship to help further her uni-
versity education in the arts. It
is hoped that these young
ambassadors will excel in their
chosen fields of study with
grace, poise, confidence and a
love and understanding of a
culture that defines them as
Caribbean Americans.
Story and photographs by
Dawn A. Davis, a freelance
writer for Caribbean Today.
0

The Jamaica Tourist
Board (JTB) has rein-
troduced the
"Experience Jamaica" pro-
gram to encourage Jamaicans
to taste, see, feel and enjoy
the country's tourism product.
First introduced in 2009,
the "Experience Jamaica"
program uses customer edu-
cation and value-added dis-
count offerings to generate
interest in and use of the
tourism facilities available on
the island, including accom-
modations, attractions, trans-
portation and shopping.
This year, the number of
participating entities totals
over 100, with discounts rang-
ing from five percent to more
than 50 percent. This is a
marked increase in the num-

ber of participating compa-
nies from 2009, which peaked
at 65 participating entities.
All six resort areas are repre-
sented in the program.
"This is the start of the
summer period when many
Jamaicans come home to visit
friends and family, and local
school groups also organize
day trips for their students,"
explained Director of
Tourism John Lynch. "Plus,
with the Emancipation and
Independence holidays just a
few weeks away, this is an
excellent time to offer dis-
counts to our people."
The 2010 program will
run through December.
0

Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica, center, breaks the tape to win the 200 meters at last month's Adidas Grand Prix meet in
New York. Campbell-Brown, the two-time Olympic champion in the event, finished ahead of her arch rival, American Allyson
Felix, left, the three-time IAAF World Champion. The Jamaican's winning time was a 2010 world leading 21.98 seconds.

The Jamaica Lightning Bolt clipper yacht, named after Jamaican Usain Bolt, the
three-time Olympic and World Championships gold medalist and "world's fastest
man", visited New York City recently as part of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World
Yacht Race. Last month, the Jamaica Tourist Board hosted a group of travel agents
onboard the vessel for a sail around Manhattan. The Jamaica Lightning Bolt is one
of 10 yachts competing in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race.

SKY'S THE LIMIT

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Jamaica's Jerome Jordan, left, was last month selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in
the second round of the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft in the United
States. The 7' 1", 244-pound center, who spent four years at Tulsa University in the
U.S. after leaving high school in Jamaica, was the 44th overall pick. The 23-year-old
from Kingston averaged 15.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.3 block shots
while playing 29.8 minutes per game during his senior season at Tulsa. He appears
to have a promising future in the NBA. According to ESPN basketball analyst Chad
Ford, "Jordan has great size and he's a pretty skilled big man..."

parents and children ages 11
and under. Children 11 and
under stay free with 50 per-
cent off any meal plan, while
those 12 to 16 stay free when
the European meal plan is
purchased.
This package is valid
through Dec. 15 and rates
start at $250 per night for dou-
ble occupancy.
With the Family Break
package, families receive daily
breakfast and round-trip air-
port transfers, nanny service
for up to four hours for two
children ages three and under;
and all children 11 and under
stay free. This package is valid
until Dec. 15 and rates start at
$250 for double occupancy.
Visit www.halfmoon.com.
The Hilton Kingston cre-
ated the Jamaica
"Emancipendence" package,
which is valid when guests
book a minimum of two nights
stay for a maximum of three
persons. The $65 per person,

per night package includes
double occupancy in a Garden
room, daily buffet breakfast,
and guests can participate in
the signature
Emancipendence Food
Festival and experience live
entertainment featuring local
cultural performers.
The offer is valid from
July 30 through Aug. 8 and is
subject to availability. There is
an additional third person
charge of $20 per night. Visit
www.hiltoncaribbean.com/kin
gston.
Marblue Villa Suites has a
Summer Special Villa Retreat
package that is valid for its
Verandah Villa Suites. The
package is available through
Aug. 30 and includes daily
maid service, pool service and
a chef. The rate starts at
$1,995 per week for up to two
rooms (four persons). Visit
www.marblue.com.
Rondel Village is offering
2010 Spring/Summer Specials
at its villas, as well as Superior
and Garden rooms. Guests

The Hilton Kingston created the Jamaica "Emancipendence" package.

who book three nights in a
Superior room will receive 17
percent discount on their stay

to

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with Uwa,, wc show you what is nww and cvu P o-,' Joi and diverse marketplace in

CALL NOW TO ADVERTISED
305-238-2868 or 1-SNI)-60-7516
or email us at: saes@tcarilbbeantoday.qom

when they book by July 9 for
travel until July 13. The
Garden rooms are also 10 per-
cent off when travelers book
four nights by July 9 for travel
through July 13. Visit
www.Rondelvillage.com.
The Ritz-Carlton Golf &
Spa Resort, Rose Hall is
offering a fourth and fifth
night free plus $150 resort
credit promotion when guests
book by Oct. 31 and travel
through Dec. 22. The fourth
night free is a room-only pro-
motion where guests who
book four nights but only pay
for three, plus they receive a
$150 resort credit (one resort
credit per stay).
Rates start at $189 per night
based on single/double occupan-
cy. The fifth night free is an all-
inclusive promotion where
guests who book five nights only
pay for four and they receive a
$150 resort credit (one resort
credit per stay). Rates start at
D$429 per night based on sin-
gle/double occupancy. Visit
www.ritzcarlton.com.
Tower Cloisters Resort
has a Super Summer package
for families or a group of four.
Guests stay for seven nights at
a two-bedroom condo and
receive free cable, WiFi con-
nection, daily breakfast and a
welcome fruit basket. The
package starts at $976 and is
available until Sept. 5. Visit
www.cloisters-jamaica.com.
Villas By Linda Smith has
created a Free Nights This
Summer package. Travelers who
book a seven-night stay by July
31 will pay for five nights and
receive two nights free. The
package is available for travel
now through Nov. 15. Visit
www.jamaicavillas.com.
Jamaica Inn offers a "7
Night Romance" package,

including private round-trip
airport transfers, accommoda-
tions in a Deluxe Verandah
Suite, a bottle of sparkling
wine, breakfast, nightly five-
course dinner with live enter-
tainment, a one hour Couples
Sunset Massage at the KiYara
Ocean Spa, a boat trip to
Dunn's River Falls and a
Summer Citrus Scented
Jamaica Inn Candle.
The package starts at
$4,198 per couple and $538 for
each additional night. Guests
can upgrade their seven night
stay to a Premier Verandah
Suite for $560 additional, and
$80 additional for each addi-
tional night. Book now
through Dec. 7 for travel
through Dec. 14. Blackout
dates are Nov. 23-30. Visit
www.jamaicainn.com.
Families can take advan-
tage of the Free Nights
Special at Round Hill Hotel &
Villas. Guests who stay for
seven nights will only pay for
five. Those who stay for four
nights will only pay for three
and persons who stay 14
nights will only pay for 10.
Additionally, visitors will
receive a $100 food and bever-
age credit per booking.
Offer is available through
Dec. 18, excluding September
and the week of Nov. 23-30.
Visit www.roundhill.com.
Information supplied by the
Jamaica Tourist Board
(JTB). For details on upcom-
ing special events, attractions
and accommodations in
Jamaica, visit www.visitja-
maica.com or call the JTB at
1-800-JAMAICA (1-800-
526-2422).
W